Marshmallow Challenge!

The Marshmallow Challenge is a great way to meet ILO competencies in courses. This activity and the associated TED talk: Build a Tower, Build a Team can be aligned with the following ILO Competencies:

Use creativity and alternative thinking to brainstorm new ideas and possible solutions to problems or issues. (Critical Thinking)

Identify the best solution to a problem or issue. (Critical Thinking)

Work well in teams and with others. (Personal Responsibility)

Adapt to change by developing new ideas or finding improved ways of doing things. (Personal Responsibility)

This activity has been used by CLS 100 instructors to meet three of the ILO Competencies listed above in conjunction with teaching about working in teams, emotional intelligence, growth mindset, and applying critical thinking skills.

Want to challenge your students? Stop by the Center for Teaching Excellence in 308 Main. We have the materials!

Katie Daniels & Art Johnson have carried out this activity in their classrooms and would be great contacts for more information and advice!

]]>https://grccteaching.wordpress.com/2017/09/14/critical-thinking/feed/0grccteachingMM_Challenge_TitleGRCC Multimedia & Image Resourceshttps://grccteaching.wordpress.com/2017/03/09/grcc-multimedia-image-resources/
https://grccteaching.wordpress.com/2017/03/09/grcc-multimedia-image-resources/#respondThu, 09 Mar 2017 14:50:00 +0000http://grccteaching.wordpress.com/?p=134Read more GRCC Multimedia & Image Resources]]>The Library and Learning Commons at GRCC have several resources that are useful for the upcoming session facilitated by Jim Hayes from the English Department: Movies and Music and Videos, Oh My! Using Non-written Materials to Expand Topic Discussions

]]>https://grccteaching.wordpress.com/2017/03/09/grcc-multimedia-image-resources/feed/0genchemGroup Work Follow Uphttps://grccteaching.wordpress.com/2017/03/06/group-work-follow-up/
https://grccteaching.wordpress.com/2017/03/06/group-work-follow-up/#respondMon, 06 Mar 2017 15:52:38 +0000http://grccteaching.wordpress.com/?p=111Read more Group Work Follow Up]]>We had a great session in the Center for Teaching Excellence focused on Group Work. The focus of our discussion was the following article we sent out to faculty: http://scholarlyteacher.com/2016/11/10/stop-assigning-team-projects-unless/

One of the activities we did during our session could be done in a class with a group work assignment. The participants developed a list of benefits and challenges to group work – we then constructed several ideas that might go in a group ‘contract’ – see below:

BENEFITS GROUP

FRUSTRATIONS GROUP

– Less work – division of labor

– Dependence

– Pulling wisdom of group

– Social Loafing

– Social/Community

– Control freak

– Outside comfort zone

– Shutting down ideas

– Collaboration

– Time to meet/collaborate

– Creativity

– Coherent project

– Diverse opinions through experience

– Anxiety/Social

– Problem solving

– Critical thinking

Group Contract Ideas (Students Groups would each develop their own contract during this activity in class):

]]>https://grccteaching.wordpress.com/2017/03/06/group-work-follow-up/feed/0genchemPreparing Students for Group Workhttps://grccteaching.wordpress.com/2016/11/15/team-projects/
https://grccteaching.wordpress.com/2016/11/15/team-projects/#respondTue, 15 Nov 2016 17:27:08 +0000http://grccteaching.wordpress.com/?p=71]]>Bertha Chivas, Professor of Business shared a teaching tip during one of our Great Teachers Seminars for helping students learn how to work in groups.

Put students into groups of four people and assign them an easy task to “work” on (planning a party, dinner menu etc.). Assign each of the members of the group an identifier they cannot see, but can be seen by the members of their group. The identifiers are “labels” that state a particular behavior:

“Ignore me”

“Disagree with everything I say”

Tell Me: “No, it won’t work”

Agree, praise me and treat me like the leader

Type behaviors onto shipping labels in a large enough font that the others can see. Peel off the label and have students place it so others in the group can see – but they can not.

A long explanation of the activity is not needed. After the groups are formed and the labels are in place, just introduce something like, “okay we’re going to do a little group activity. I want you to plan a birthday party (or any event you choose). You will need to choose where to have the party. What kind of food to serve? Will you have entertainment? If so, what kind? Will there be decorations? What kind?” The more examples you give them the better the discussion.

Only give the students three to five minutes to “have their planning session”. Too much time and students will figure out what is going. After the activity, discuss the importance of everyone on a team contributing and feeling valued. Discuss how the negative behaviors that were a part of the activity could contribute to a negative and unproductive team. Ask how the individual group members were feeling during their “planning session.”

]]>https://grccteaching.wordpress.com/2016/11/15/team-projects/feed/0grccteachingTake a Guess!https://grccteaching.wordpress.com/2016/11/10/take-a-guess/
https://grccteaching.wordpress.com/2016/11/10/take-a-guess/#respondThu, 10 Nov 2016 18:52:23 +0000http://grccteaching.wordpress.com/?p=44]]>One of the many teaching strategies found in the book,

Teaching For Learning: 101 Intentionally Designed Educational Activities to Put Students on the Path to Success.

Copies of this text are available in the CTE!

What’s the IDEA?

In the Take a Guess IDEA, students consider what “clusters” or “categories” of information should be expected in class as they prepare for the class session. As class progresses, students match their expectations against the information the instructor delivers. If students are correct, they have a good sense of what is happening in the class. If students are drastically incorrect, it will indicate difficulty in understanding the learning expected to take place.

Here is What One Faculty Member Had to Say!

“I teach Infection Control for Dentistry and the first three chapters are basically a brief overview of microbiology. This is not a problem for my assisting students because it’s all new to them. However, my hygiene students take Microbiology as a prereq to enter the program so I was worried if this would be too much of a review for them or if they would be bored. I was looking for a way to spice up my presentation. So at the beginning of the lecture, I shared with them just the title of the lecture and then I asked the students to prepare a list of three important ideas or concepts they thought I would cover during the course of the lecture based on their existing knowledge of microbiology. After that, I lectured as usual. At the end of the lecture, I inquired about three different things. I asked for students to share if I covered items off of their lists and what those items were. I then asked for them to share any items they thought I would cover that I did not. Lastly, I asked the students to share anything I went over that they were not expecting me to.

I found this to be the perfect way to handle this particular lecture. It allowed for me to cover the necessary material that they were familiar with, but while giving them a purpose of listening to the material again. Plus, it allowed them to engage in the lecture as opposed to just sitting there listening to me talk.

I was extremely grateful to have this book as a resource as it came in handy (many times).”

Thanks, Kelli!

Kelli Fedder is new to GRCC this year. She is an Assistant Professor in the Dental Program.

]]>https://grccteaching.wordpress.com/2016/11/10/take-a-guess/feed/0grccteachingteaching-for-learningThe Best Teachers, Steal the Best Ideas.https://grccteaching.wordpress.com/2016/11/03/the-best-teachers-steal-the-best-ideas/
https://grccteaching.wordpress.com/2016/11/03/the-best-teachers-steal-the-best-ideas/#respondThu, 03 Nov 2016 16:28:43 +0000http://grccteaching.wordpress.com/?p=7]]>One of the greatest benefits of working with faculty in the Center for Teaching Excellence and attending the Great Teachers Seminar each year comes from the connections I have made with faculty outside of my department. I thoroughly appreciate the opportunities that I have had to gather first-hand ideas for best practices in teaching community college students. I am a teacher of future teachers…teaching others how to teach is what I do ever day, yet my own learning never stops. It’s the CASE method, Copy and Steal Everything! For those of you wandering the halls by 308 Main, you may have seen “CTE: Teaching Tip of the Week” the ever changing, weekly teaching tip from your colleagues of tried and true of activities that have worked in their classrooms. For those of you who never find themselves in the Main Building…here you go…your venue for gathering, sharing and conversing about teaching…

Deb Vilmont, Professor of Education/Child Development and Faculty Liaison for the Center for Teaching Excellence